MONTICELLO — Entering Albany-Monticello’s nonconference game against Iowa-Grant on Dec. 9, senior Abby Hollis was just 26 points away from reaching 1,000 in her career — a fact that she tried to put on the back burner of her brain.
In the Space Stallions’ game against River Ridge on Dec. 6, Hollis let the accomplishment cloud her mind and she ended up scoring 10 points. So, when she just played and didn’t try too hard to score, Hollis recorded 26 points exactly in her team’s 78-27 victory. She became just the fourth player in Albany girls basketball history to score 1,000 career points, including Alana Durtschi, Brianna Dahl and Amy Golz.
“I was just really happy that I finally got it,” Hollis said. “I tried to push it away because Friday night, I thought a lot about it, and I didn’t shoot very well. Mainly, I just wanted to come out and shoot well, knowing I wanted to be confident going into Barneveld on Thursday.”
But the crowd would have never known, as the Clarke University-commit came out looking like she was on a mission. She swished back-to-back three-pointers with ease, giving her team a 6-0 lead. Hollis was also involved in the next two points, driving to the lane and dishing to Anna Ellinger on the block for a bucket.
“She (Hollis) didn’t look phased one bit because she shot the ball as well as she has many times in many games,” Albany-Monticello head coach Derik Doescher said.
Ellinger was the recipient of another crafty pass, this time from Molly Olson. Ellinger then shared the wealth with Karlee Wilkins, who made a shot from the short corner to give Albany-Monticello a 10-point lead seven minutes into the contest.
But the Space Stallions didn’t stop there.
Hollis hit her third three-pointer of the game and assisted Ellinger once again. Molly Olson took a steal back for two points, followed by yet another Hollis 3-pointer for a 20-point lead. The score forced Iowa-Grant to take a timeout at the eight-minute mark.
Even with a pause in play, AM kept going. Kiera Cleasby assisted Dalana Trumpy, and Emerson Briggs dished to Ellinger. When Iowa-Grant’s Adrienne Biddick scored, it put a stop to the Space Stallions’ 22-point run.
Biddick was the spark plug that Iowa-Grant needed, as the 5’11” senior battled for points in the post. She grabbed an offensive board and put it back in for two and received lob passes from her teammates on the wing.
“We didn’t (change our defense) because we front the post. That’s what we do. That’s who we are,” Doescher said. “Credit to her (Biddick); she is super athletic. We talked a little bit about, as she moved up toward the high post, we have to release her and play behind. As she drops to the low post, that’s where we front.”
Before the first half was over, Hollis scored another three points — this time with a bucket and an and-one — to give Albany-Monticello a 40-14 lead. She needed to score just nine in the second half to reach 1,000.
Although Biddick continued her dominance in the post in the second frame — drawing a foul on Hollis and making the subsequent out of bounds play — Hollis, too, stayed hot. She made a shot just off the elbow and drained her fifth three-pointer of the contest. The bucket beyond the arc gave the Space Stallions a 31-point lead.
Albany-Monticello gradually extended its lead with stout defense and transition baskets. Molly Olson stole the ball and pushed it up the floor to her sister, Heidi. The freshman returned the favor, assisting her older sibling on the next fast break.
Another sister connection gave AM a 61-25 lead. Sadie Wilkins dove to save a ball from going out of bounds. Her tip went to Hollis, who made the extra pass to Karlee Wilkins at the top of the key for three.
“We do a lot of drills that incorporate one more. We have every single girl willing to make that extra pass when a teammate’s open, and I think that’s really helped our success,” Doescher said. “Sadie gave us some good minutes. If she doesn’t hustle, we never get to that one more pass and that open three.”
Sadie then assisted Hollis on a fast break, leading to a wide-open layup and her 1,000th career point. The bucket gave AM a 40-point lead and began the running clock.
“I was just really happy that I finally got it,” Hollis said of the accomplishment. “It’s taken a lot of time and effort. I knew I was on pace. I knew I was gonna get it at some point, but it just felt good to finally get it.”
With the feat in hand and a 40-point lead, Doescher subbed in his bench. Emma Thompson faked a handoff and drove to the basket for two. Kiera Cleasby went 2-for-2 at the free-throw line, and Reagan Hollis drained a 3-pointer for her first varsity points.
“A lot of stars lined up tonight for us,” Doescher said. “That’s really what a team is all about — Abby’s accomplishment and all the other milestones that were achieved tonight.”
